Posts

What should be in camping survival kit?

Setting a fire in wilderness is one of the most important things a camper needs to be able to do if he wants to survive the cold, defend against hungry predators and cook a meal for himself. Camper should be equipped with necessary fire starting skills along with having a source to start it. This is where a competent fire starter becomes the number one critical survival item to have on him at all times.

Having three sources of setting a fire in his survival kit is great. He should not take chances with fire starters. Matches, striker and bic lighter are fire starters that he should take with him. Supplements this by packing some tinder and other lighting aids such as InstaFire Fire Starter, too. Carry all these fire starters in waterproof containers and save them separately and within easy access in survival kit.

SURVIVAL KNIFE

There are chances that campers will need to do a lot of cutting work in a true survival situation thus a good and reliable survival knife will be a perfect kit. There are wide options related to the selection of knife either a multipurpose tool with a knife or a high quality survival knife. Survival knife should be able to cut strings, skin hunt, and sharpen sticks among other uses.

The ideal and best survival knife must be strong and razor sharp to cut through the toughest materials with ease. Principle of redundancy also applies here: “where there are two, there is one – where there is one, there is none.” If a camper will lose his knife or knife will fail him, he will definitely want a reliable backup.

MAPS AND COMPASS

Campers should not rely completely on GPS in a survival situation. They should also carry a local map and compass with them to assist them in navigating their way back to safety. It’s better to have both topography map and road map with them. These are light weight and easy to carry, so there is no genuine reason not to carry these with them in their survival kit.

Having a compass and map is one thing, campers should know how to read and use them for navigation. There are many courses and trainings that can teach people basics of these skills so people can practice on their own. Campers should also learn how to navigate the directions without using compass by other ways.

FIRST AID KIT

Campers who are heading to wilderness, be sure to have a first aid kit with them all time. A first aid kit is an important item that can even decide about the life or death of a camper. It should be easily accessible in critical situations. Having a dedicated first aid kit for vehicles is also a great idea.

General first aid kits are good to carry but supplement them with important things like the items as pressure dressings to stop the bleeding in the event that injury may occur. Adventure medical kits are a good place to start. It includes a first aid pocket manual and familiarizes them with it, especially if they are not formally trained or experienced.

A BOW SAW

A survival situation on a cold night can be made easier by having a simple bow saw. Durable and light weight metal framed saw is a great choice. A bow saw can aid to cut through logs and make firewood. It can also helpful to cut down big branches of a tree to develop a shelter that is not an easy for a survival knife to do. If a camper manages to shoot a big game or deer, he will need to start a strong fire to roast its meat. A bow saw not only provides enough firewood, but also aids to set the fire place for cooking of hunt.

PROPER CLOTHING

Before heading for the wilderness, a camper needs to plan to dress for the worst even on a hot sunny day. Hypothermia kills more people in wilderness than any other reason. The cold of night can be countered with proper clothing along with fire. Always layer your clothes, don’t forget to wear loose, layered clothing with wool as your under layer. General rule of clothing is to stay away from cotton.

It keeps moisture which makes it harder to dry out, heavier on the body and less insulating. This condition can lead to pneumonia, hypothermia, etc. Clothes developed from synthetic and wool materials are the best for this very reason.

Whistle

It’s highly recommended to have a plastic whistle around neck just in case a camper gets lost. His voice may not reach far when lost, but blowing his whistle can help alert nearby people to his distress. Plastic whistles are lightweight, float and will not rust thus they are highly recommended.

SIGNAL MIRROR

History is full of heartbreaking stories where search helicopters passed over lost people but their signals are too weak which resulted in disasters. A heliograph or signal mirror should be in survival kit of a camper. Storing it in first aid kit is a better way to protect it from any damage and locate it easily. These compact, lightweight tools are able to reflect light at long distances signaling people far away of a camper’s distance.

CORDAGE

Cordage is an ordinary name used to describe everything from a nylon string to a metal wire. It is one of the most important survival items which a camper needs to climb steep places, tie bundles of firewood, drag game he has killed and much more. Cordages serves different functions like a cloth line, fishing line, food line and much more. High quality but light weight cord can be used in all different survival situations. They can change the game. Titan Survivor Cord is a very unique and different multi-purpose paracord used by special forces and becomes highly recommended for its wide range of uses.

WATER FILTERATION

According to research, a person with an average physical health cannot survive more than 72 hours without drinking water. In addition to it, people need to plan on drinking at least 1 gallon of water per day. Even a few sips of clean and filtered water can make the difference between life and death, but a camper wants to be in peak performance when it counts, and that much water is too heavier to carry for anyone. Now, a camper can find water in the wilderness, but it might also make him extremely sick coming from a source without proper filtration.

A survival water filter is no less than a blessing in this situation. It can help him a lot. Water filters are important regardless, but especially handy when on an expedition with a group of friends as a camper will go through water very quickly. Thus a camper should know about other ways to clean water by using material available to him at that time. These techniques are lifesaving tricks that can alter the table. Water filtration can be done by using clear sand, herbs or sand. They will soak all the dust and most of organisms present in water and hence a camper will get clear water to drink.

FLASHLIGHT

Darkness is among those elements that can disorient even the most experienced adventurer quicker than being shrouded. If a camper plans to venture out into an unfamiliar territory or finds himself outside after dark, a high quality and reliable flashlight is a must have in any survival kit. As the technology advances, flashlights are getting smaller and light weight, and more effective and efficient in recent years.